Jock Safari Lodge

Best holiday ever, truly a holiday of a lifetime We had always wanted to go on safari and were not disappointed, as soon as we arrived we were greeted by friendly faces and were looked after. We had 4 rooms as we were 7 people and they were lovely. The drives were great and our ranger Mayneth went above and beyond to make sure we saw the big 5 (plus baby big 5) to the point on our last drive he drove a long way to make sure we saw hippos as my husband had never managed to see any on any of his other safaris through work trips. And the food was excellent especially the BBQ on the beach. It was truly a holiday of a lifetime. We will definitely return, we said we might try others but not sure they could ever live up to our experience at Jock, we’ve been spoiled. BEST HOLIDAY EVER!!

One of the most special places in the world We have just finished a 4 night stay at Jock Safari lodge (which is a not for profit organisation where all profits go back into Kruger Conservation) and what a truly special experience it was. After a 36 hour journey we landed at the picturesque Skakuza airport we were met by Jan our guide for the next 5 days and after filling out some forms (signing our lives away) we jumped into one of the lodges Jock vehicles and began the drive to the lodge. From the get go Jan was brilliant with us and with our two daughters (12 and 14) as well as my 75 year old mum. He really knew how to get a laugh from all of us. The drive back was peppered with a range of animals - crocodile, giraffe, warthog, elephant, baboon and impala galore. Upon arrival at Jock lodge which is set in its own concession (meaning that the lodges vehicles can travel off road to get closer to the animals) we were greeted by a Jurassic park gate. The lodge itself is beautiful and sits above two river tributaries which were both dry when we arrived. We would absolutely recommend this as it is special going off road whereas in the main park you stick to the drives. We were greeted by the lovely TK and Busi who took our bags, gave us some cooling towels and a drink before being shown to our rooms. The rooms were amazing, felt like five star luxury without losing the feel of a traditional game lodge. With lots of wonderful little touches that surprised and delighted us. The evening set up was drinks in the bar where we were looked after brilliantly by Khaya and then into the restaurant called to dinner by drums. Food was prepared by Oprah and her team and the menu announced by her and one of the management team Gavin we were also very well looked after by Albert. You will not go hungry here. The food is of an excellent standard and there is simply sooooooo much of it! Each day follows a very similar routine. Wake up for us started at 5.00am for a 5.45-6.00am drive. Jan gave us wake up calls every morning (although we were awake by then) and then we set off on a different drive each day. Sometimes in the concession and sometimes in the wider Kruger park. Drives finish around 9.30 and then we headed to breakfast where we were looked after by the lovely Precious who again made sure we needed a crane to lift us out of our seats!!! We then had free time until lunch where we were again fattened up for the lions even more and this was followed by more free time until afternoon tea and our afternoon game drive where we left between 3.30 and 3.45 pm. Return was about 6.30 to 7.00 and then the evening meal rituals commenced again. On safari, it gets cold in the mornings but my female companions all took the hot water bottles found in the room and used the blankets in the vehicle. We cannot thank Jan enough for the banter, the stories, his knowledge and his ability to see animals not visible to us mere mortals. He found us lions (tracking their prints in the road), elephant, giraffe, buffalo, kudu, baboons, jennets, bats, two leopard kills, rhino, warthog, water buck, steenbok the list goes on. The two stand outs for us were seeing a pack of painted dogs being followed by two hyena where we followed them for about 25 minutes and were able to let one of the other lodge vehicles know where to find them and also sitting watching a leopard with a kill in a tree on the concession for 2.5 hours. Truly amazing experience. Nothing was too much for Jan and he spent so much time answering our questions and sharing his knowledge. The final special touch for us was when on the last night the Jock team came out singing traditional songs and dancing to celebrate my mother’s 75th birthday, despite that being 7months ago this was a birthday present for her which she had told them on the first day. Little did we know that they had ‘banked’ that knowledge to again go above and beyond to surprise us on our last night. You will all never know how much that will have meant to my mum. Thank you all so much. I know I have named a few people here but I have missed out all the other people whose names I didn’t ask or catch but you were all amazing nothing was too much and you all made this trip amazing. Thank you so much for everything. I wish we could visit every year but we can’t but we will certainly never forget the year we did! Top tip - don’t drink too much in the afternoons as it’s not always safe to have a wild wee after dark and you’ll want to enjoy the sundowners!

Amazing experience Wow! From the minute we started the drive from the airport to Fitzpatricks we knew this was going to be something special. Giraffe, elephants, zebra and lions with 6 month old cubs were there for us to see and we hadn’t even reached the lodge! A lovely welcome to Fitzpatricks with warm face cloths to freshen up with and homemade fruit juice. We were introduced to everyone who would be looking after us in our 3 night stay and very soon we were sitting down to an amazing lunch. A time to unpack and observe the Cape buffalo in the dry river bed from our patio then we were off on our first of six epic game drives. We saw the big 5 within 3 drives and saw them all again before we left. A highlight had to be the hyena kill with two clans fighting over it then the male lions taking over. We were an hour late back for dinner but it was a once in a lifetime experience. Our ranger Patrick was amazing. So much knowledge, an ability to find almost everything we hoped to see and gave us so many memories. His stories were so interesting to hear and his knowledge is amazing! Patrick had a great sense of humour two and really clicked with my kids (age 11 and 14) ensuing they were seeing everything and enjoying it. The whole lodge staff were also 5*. Fitzpatricks was very special and they ensured that every second of it was luxury for us. My dad even had a birthday baked for him from chef Kate which was delicious. There is so much more I could say but I will end it with thank you so much to everyone at Fitzpatricks over our stay as you made it a holiday and experience of a lifetime

Fabulous safari experience Fabulous safari experience in every way! The Lodge is lovely, with welcoming and accommodating staff. The food is good and plentiful, the included beverages are good quality and plentiful. The site overlooks (dry) river beds where animals roam and the views are great. Each room has high levels of privacy, views over the river, a good spot to chill on the large patio, with plunge pool, open air bath and shower & different seating/lounging options. Rooms are very comfortable and well equipped, spotlessly clean and a great sleep. But you don’t come here for the Lodge, you come here for great guiding and game drives which deliver amazing viewing of animals at close quarters, without huge numbers of trucks jostling for position. We saw lots of great animals and birds, including on one day alone the Big 5! Our guide, Meyneth, was outstanding, always pleasant company, put us on the spot for 2 leopards in 2 days, could answer all the questions and looked after everyone on the truck very well. I would recommend anyone to go here, it could easily satisfy your need for safari, or of course kindle a desire to do it all again sooner than funds allow!

Amazing wildlife + beautiful lodge = the best Kruger experience imaginable! I cannot imagine a better safari & wildlife conservation experience in the Kruger than Jock Safari Lodge. With so much private land far from the entrance gate, you seemingly have the Kruger to yourself and fellow guests of the lodge. Expertly guided game drives brought us close to virtually every animal imaginable except the wild dogs, but the close encounters with all the Big Five plus hyena, giraffe, wildebeest, warthog, baboon, monkeys, and exotic birds were beyond amazing. The lodge, rooms and property are top notch and the staff is super friendly and attentive. The big braai on the riverside beach one night was an awesome experience. Finally, I was particularly impressed with the great work Jock does in support of protecting the endangered rhino population with their anti-poaching initiatives. Bravo, Jock Safari Lodge!!